Footwear with additional comfort

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is footwear, such as a sandal, having an outsole, an insole, and an upper. The upper is attached to the outsole and/or the insole and is meant to hold the foot in place when the sandal is worn. The outsole includes a bottom surface and a sidewall extending upwardly from the bottom surface to provide an area of insertion for the insole. The insole is comprised either partially or fully of a gel or gel-like substance and is placed within the gel insole receiving area of the outsole. The gel insole can be manufactured within the gel insole receiving area or manufactured separately and placed within the gel insole receiving area.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/387,096, filed Mar. 22, 2006, pending, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/664,358, filed Mar. 23, 2005, theentirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to footwear, such as sandals, andspecifically to footwear providing added comfort to the feet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Athletes typically spend a lot of time on their feet. Certain sports,such as soccer, football, and baseball (to name a few) require that theparticipant wear cleats. At the end of a game, the athlete's feet areoften sore, fatigued, and in need of rest.

A variety of materials are used to manufacture insoles available insandals. U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,185 (Zeligman, et al.) describes an insolefor summer footwear such as sandals, comprised of an insole molded fromplastic material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,997 (Scheinhaus, et al.) describesa sandal having a multilayer sole including an insole of mini-cell foam.U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,512 describes a sandal with an upper insole sectioncomposed of leather and a lower insole section composed of compositionrubber.

Special insoles for footwear are not uncommon and serve a variety ofpurposes. U.S. Pub. No. 2003/0136025 A1 (Galbraith, et al.) describes aninsole for footwear, including a plurality of compressible protrusions.U.S. Pub. No. 2003/0005599 A1 (Panaccione) describes a modular cushionedinsole support system.

Gel insoles have been used primarily in athletic shoes and orthopedicshoes to provide additional comfort or other desired benefits. U.S. Pat.No. 6, 598,319 B2 (Hardt) describes an insole intended to providecushion to the heel and/or the arch area of the foot for people whospend a lot of time on their feet. This particular insole has twoopenings that are filled with a polymeric gel composition. U.S. Pat. No.2003/0024134 A1 (Howlett, et al.) provides another example of an insolethat is partially composed of a viscoelastic gel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, the present invention is intended to provide theathlete's foot with some relief by introducing footwear with acomfortable insole comprise either partially or fully of a polymer gelor gel-like material that can be worn before or after the game. Suchfootwear can have an insole which is comprised either partially or fullyof a gel or gel-like (hereinafter referred to simply as “gel”)substance. The gel insole is protected by an outsole comprised of adurable material as outlined in the body of this application. The gelinsole, combined with the upper, provides a comfortable receiving areafor the foot.

Some embodiments of the present invention relates to a sandal. Thesandal includes an outsole, an insole, and an upper attached to theoutside and/or the insole. The outsole includes a bottom wall and asidewall extending from the bottom wall to provide a point of insertionfor the insole. The insole is comprised either partially or fully of agel or gel-like substance and is provided within the gel insolereceiving area of the outside. The gel insole can be manufactured withinthe gel insole receiving area or manufactured separately and placedwithin the gel insole receiving area later in the manufacturing process.The upper is attached to the outsole and/or the insole and is meant(together with the insole) to provide a containment area for the foot.The upper can be made of one or more pieces. If the upper is made ofmore than one piece, the pieces can be removably combined with Velcro orsome other material with similar utility such as snaps, zippers,buttons, or the like.

For athletes with tired or sore feet, some embodiments of the presentinvention provides a comfortable, soothing sandal to put on after apractice or game. Athletes who have their legs, ankles, or feet tapedbefore a game will also benefit from such a sandal in that it provides acomfortable alternative to tight cleats or shoes that can causediscomfort and cramping before the game or match even starts.

In some embodiments, a sandal provides an insole that is comprisedeither partially or completely of a polymer gel material. This materialwill provide additional comfort to the foot by conforming to the footand adding substantial padding to areas of the foot in need of restand/or prone to fatigue and stress during exercise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outsole with the gel insoleaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an insole and an insole coveringaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a gel or gel-like substance, an insole,and an insole covering according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a gel or gel-like substance, an insolewith internal gates, and an insole covering according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 5 shows individually packaged gel packets and a top plan view of aninsole according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 also shows acovering for the individual gel packets;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a gel-based insole;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a gel-based insole;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a gel-based insole;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a gel-based insole;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a gel-based insole;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a gel-based insole;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a gel-based insole;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a gel-based insole;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of an embodiment of an insole composed eitherpartially or fully of gel or a gel-like substance;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of an embodiment of an insole comprised ofcloth, rubber, plastic, vinyl, foam, or some other material with pocketsof gel at the arch of the foot, the ball of the foot, the heel of thefoot, or some combination of the three, according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of an embodiment of an insole comprised ofcloth, rubber, plastic, vinyl, foam, or some other material with pocketsof gel provided in a uniform or random fashion throughout the insoleaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the outsole with the insole accordingto an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the insole with a protective coveringfor the gel or gel-like substance as well as the outsole according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the gel or gel-like substance, theoutsole, the insole, and the insole cover according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the outsole and the insole according toan embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a sandal according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a representation of an outsole (110) and an insole (120). Theoutsole (110) has a front end (130) and a rear end (140); a left side(150) and a right side (160). The outsole (110) also has an inner wall(170), a perimeter wall (175), an inner bottom (180), and an outerbottom (not shown).

The outsole (110) can be composed of a polymer block copolymer, or otherdurable material. Examples of such material include SBS rubber, plastic,and foam to name a few. Such materials used in the outsole (110) providedurability, traction, support, and some cushion to the user of thesandal. In some embodiments, the material chosen for the outsole (110)can be chosen to withstand significant contact with rough groundsurfaces such as concrete, dirt, grass, carpet, stone, wood, andasphalt.

The outsole (110) is generally formed such that the insole (120) is ableto rest in the space formed by the combination of the inner wall (170)and inner bottom (180)—protected further by the perimeter wall (175) andouter bottom (not shown). This insole receiving area (170/180) canprovide a protective environment into which a comfortable insole (120)may be manufactured directly or into which a comfortable insole (120)may be placed once it has been manufactured separately.

The insole (120) has a front end (185) and a rear end (190) and may becomposed, for example, of a solid polymer gel, a viscoelastic polymergel, a semi-liquid “squishy” polymer gel, or some combination of theabove. The primary purpose of using a polymer gel material for theinsole (120) is to provide comfort and relief to tired and sore feet. Insome embodiments, the material used for the insole (120) is thick enoughto provide outstanding comfort, yet thin enough to provide a high levelof support. Throughout the remainder of this application, the insolewill be referred to as a single layer of polymer gel or gel-likematerial (120); however, a multiple layer insole (190) could also beused.

As shown in FIG. 2, a solid or viscoelastic polymer gel/other solidmaterial used to form the insole may be completely or partially exposedto the air (210) or contained in/covered with a cloth, rubber, nylon,plastic, vinyl, foam, or other type of material covering (220) toprovide the insole with desired characteristics such as added comfort,traction, durability, protection, design, and/or styling.

Referring to FIG. 3, a semi-liquid or “squishy” polymer gel (310) can becontained in some kind of container or pouch (320) to keep the materialenveloped within the insole while the sandal is in use. This container(320) would preferably be composed of a plastic, rubber, or some othermaterial capable of housing a liquid or semi-liquid substance withoutbeing prone to excessive damage which would allow the liquid to escape.For example, the material can be durable enough to hold the liquidwithout being ruptured or damaged by various amounts of pressure causedby the foot or other stress factors that could affect the semi-liquid or“squishy” polymer gel container (320). Also, as illustrated in FIG. 3,the container holding the semi-liquid or “squishy” polymer gel (320)could be completely exposed to the air (320) or contained in/coveredwith cloth, rubber, nylon, plastic vinyl, foam, or some other type ofmaterial covering (330). One purpose of the cover (330) is to providedesired characteristics such as added comfort, traction, durability,protection, design, and/or styling—similar to the application describedfor a solid or viscoelastic polymer gel application (see FIG. 2).

Referring to FIG. 4, a semi-liquid or “squishy” gel (410) may beenclosed in a one-piece pouch (420) or in a pouch with several internalgates or boundaries (430). Said gates could be formed vertically,horizontally, or in any number of directions or combination ofdirections. These gates or boundaries can be strategically placed withinthe pouch (420/430) to prevent excess amounts of gel from moving to anyone area of the insole when pressure is applied to the pouch (420/430)under the weight of the user. For example, the gates can be placed so asto form several square inch enclosures, each of which would be filledwith gel (440). In some embodiments, the gel can be free to move withinits own square inch area, but not beyond. Thus, regardless of the amountof pressure being applied to the insole, the gel would maintain arelatively even distribution throughout the greater insole. As in otherapplication, this conglomerate of pouches formed by the internal gatescould be completely or partially exposed to the air (440) or containedin/covered with cloth, rubber, nylon, plastic, vinyl, foam, or someother type of material covering (450) to provide desired characteristicssuch as added comfort, traction, durability, protection, design, and/orstyling.

FIG. 5 provides a top plan illustration of an additional application inwhich the insole (520/530) could be produced using several separate gelpouches (510) placed side-by-side within the entire gel insole receivingarea of the outsole (520) rather than being produced in a one-piecepouch that is separated by internal gates as shown in FIG. 4. Thisconglomerate of individual polymer gel packets could be packagedindividually (540) and placed within the gel receiving area of theoutsole (520), or packaged in a larger container or pouch (550) whichwould be placed in the gel receiving area of the outsole (520) foradditional security, durability, and/or stability. As in applicationsdescribed in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, this conglomerate of pouches could becompletely or partially exposed to the air (210) or contained in/coveredwith cloth, rubber, nylon, plastic, foam, or some other type of materialcovering (220) to provide desired characteristics such as added comfort,traction, durability, protection, design, and/or styling.

The insole (530) is not restricted to one specific type of polymer gel.Just as different parts of the foot have different sensitivities, acombination of solid or viscoelastic gel and semi-liquid or “squishy”polymer gel can be used in the insole (530). One purpose of usingdifferent materials for different areas of the foot is to provideadditional comfort and support to specific areas of the foot prone tosoreness, fatigue, or excessive irritation from blisters or other footissues cased by cleats.

If several different types of gel are used, the “squishy” portion of thegel insole (530) can be contained in a special cloth, nylon, plastic, orrubber package as previously explained and shown in FIG. 4 (410/420).The package can then be integrated into the solid gel insole (530) base.The semi-liquid gel can be strategically placed in areas of the insole(530) that house portions of the foot requiring special attention.

FIG. 6 shows one such area of the foot which, in some embodiments, canpotentially require special attention—the arch (610). In this instance,the base of the insole can be comprised of a solid or viscoelasticpolymer gel (620). A special semi-liquid or “squishy” polymer gel pocketcan be assigned to the area of the insole that touches the arch of thefoot (610).

FIG. 7 illustrates another potential area of sensitivity in the footthat could need special attention—the heel (710). In this instance, thebase of the insole can be comprised of a solid or viscoelastic polymergel (720). A special semi-liquid or “squishy” polymer gel pocket can beassigned to the area of the insole that touches the heel of the foot(710).

Likewise, the ball of the foot is an area that often causes athletes andother active people pain. As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, thebase of the insole can be comprised of a solid or viscoelastic polymergel (820). A special semi-liquid or “squishy” polymer gel pocket can beassigned to the area of the insole that touches the ball of the foot(810).

In addition to limiting the “squishy” polymer gel to one area ofsensitivity as discussed in the previous three paragraphs, anycombination of these three areas of sensitivity could be supplied withthe semi-liquid or “squishy” gel. FIG. 9 gives one example. In thisembodiment, the base of the insole could be comprised of a solid orviscoelastic polymer gel (910). The area of the insole that touches thearch (910) and the ball (930) of the foot can contain the semi-liquid or“squishy” polymer gel material.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 10, a semi-liquid or “squishy” polymer gelcan be applied to the arch of the foot (1010) and the heel of the foot(1020), both of which would benefit from the semi-liquid or “squishy”gel pockets. The rest of the insole can be comprised of a solid orviscoelastic polymer gel (1030).

FIG. 11 shows that the heel of the foot (1110) and the ball of the foot(1120) constitute another possible combination area for the semi-liquidor “squishy” gel pocket application. The remaining part of the insolecan be comprised of the solid or viscoelastic polymer gel material(1130).

As illustrated schematically in FIG. 12, an insole covering all three ofthe previously mentioned areas of the foot; the arch (1210), the heel(1220), and the ball of the foot (1230), can be formed using thesemi-liquid or “squishy” polymer gel material in one single application.The rest of the insole can be formed using a solid or viscoelasticpolymer gel (1240).

Referring now to FIG. 13, a solid or viscoelastic polymer gel can beused for the base of the insole (1310) and the semi-liquid or “squishy”polymer gel can be applied in small pockets throughout the insole in auniform manner (1320) to create additional comfort or other desiredcharacteristics. These semi-liquid gel pockets can also be spreadthrough the insole strategically or randomly to provide added comfortand to enhance the sandal's appearance and marketability throughspecific design cues (1330). For example, the gel pockets can be made tolook like shapes, objects, letters, numbers, or any variety of possiblepictures of symbols (1340).

As illustrated in FIG. 14, in addition to an insole comprised completelyof a polymer gel substance (1410), an insole comprised of a polymer gel,integrated or combined with another material such as cloth, rubber,plastic, or foam could also apply (1420). One purpose of a partiallygel/partially rubber, cloth, foam, plastic, or other material insole(1420) is to add comfort, structure, stability, traction, durability,protection, support, and/or unique design to the sandal.

Similar to the solid gel base insole application previously discussed,several applications can be used with a base comprised of rubber,plastic, foam, or some other non-polymer gel material for the insole.For example, FIG. 15 shows how a polymer gel, solid or “squishy”(1520/30/40), can be strategically placed in or on areas of the rubber,plastic, foam, or other material base insole (1510) in such a way as toprovide additional padding, massage, comfort, and relief from stress tothe foot.

As seen in FIG. 15, one such area of the insole where gel can be appliedwithin the rubber, plastic, foam, or other material base (1510) is areaof the insole where the arch of the foot would rest (1520). Anotherpossible area of the insole where the gel could be applied within therubber, plastic, foam, or other material base insole (1510) is the partof the foot where the heel would rest (1530). Yet another area withinthe rubber, plastic, foam, or other material base insole (1510) where asolid or “squishy” polymer gel could be applied is the area of theinsole where the ball of the foot would rest (1540).

As discussed earlier in this application, any combination of these threeareas of the foot: the arch (1520), the heel (1530), and the ball(1540), can be used as areas where the gel would rest within the largerbase insole made of such materials as plastic, rubber, foam, or someother materials (1510)—similar to the options show with the semisolid orsolid viscoelastic polymer gel base in FIGS. 7-13.

For example, the area of the insole where the heel (1530) and the ballof the foot (1540) rest could contain a solid or semi-liquid “squishy”polymer gel with the rest of the insole being composed of plastic,rubber, foam, or some other material (1510). Likewise, the area of theinsole where the arch (1520) and the heel (1530) rest can contain solidor “squishy” polymer gel with the rest of the insole being composed ofplastic, rubber, foam, or some other material (1510). The area of theinsole where the arch (1520) and the ball of the foot (1540) will restcan contain solid or “squishy” polymer gel with the rest of the insolebeing composed of the foot, the arch (1520), the heel (1530), and theball (1540) can contain the solid or “squishy” polymer gel—placed withinthe larger base of the insole made of a plastic, rubber, foam, or someother durable material (1510). One purpose of the gel in theseembodiments would be to provide additional comfort and support tospecific areas of the foot prone to soreness, fatigues, or excessiveirritation from blisters or other foot issues caused by cleats.

FIG. 16 illustrates another embodiment using an SBS rubber, plastic,foam, or some other material base (1610) combined with a solid or“squishy” polymer gel (1620). In this embodiment, the gel (1620) can beprovided throughout the larger insole made of plastic, rubber, foam, orsome other durable material (1610) in a uniform manner to createadditional comfort or to enhance the sandal's appearance throughspecific design cues (1620).

FIG. 16 also shows that these gel pockets can be distributedstrategically or randomly throughout the insole with the primary purposeof providing comfort and relaxation to specific pressure points locatedin the foot (1630). A strategic or random distribution of gel pocketswithin the SBS rubber, plastic, foam, or other material base insole(1610/20/30) can also be made with the dual purpose of providing desireddesign and styling as well as outstanding comfort.

Continuing with FIG. 16, many possible insole designs can achieve astrategically or randomly distributed gel applications. For example, thegel pockets can be scattered throughout the SBS rubber, plastic, foam,or other material base, and made to look like objects, shapes, letters,numbers, or any of a variety of possible pictures, or symbols (1640).

Once the material and design of the insole have been determined, atleast four recommended manufacturing techniques can be used. Othermanufacturing techniques known to those of skilled in this field couldalso be used.

Shown in FIG. 17, one of these methods involves the gel insole (1710)manufactured as a separate (to the outsole (1720)) piece andsubsequently placed in the insole receiving area (1730/1740) created bythe inner side wall (1730) and inner bottom (1740) of the outsole(1720). This independent (from the outsole (1720)) insole (1710) canthen be sewn to the perimeter wall (1750) and/or bottom (not shown) ofthe outsole (1720) or attached to the inner side wall (1730) and/orinner bottom (1740) of the outsole (17200) with an adhesive substancesuch as glue. This method of manufacturing can be carried out by asingle entity or split into two or more entities.

FIG. 18 shows another manufacturing technique that can be applied to thesandal, protective material (1820) into which the insole (1810) can beplaced. Once combined, this newly created insole (1830) could then besewn to the perimeter wall (1840) and/or bottom (not shown) of theoutsole (1850) or attached to the inner side wall (1860) and/or innerbottom (1870) with an adhesive substance such as glue.

FIG. 19 shows that if a semi-liquid or “squishy” polymer gel (1910) ischosen for a portion (or all) of the insole (1930), the area formed bythe inner side wall (1940) and inner bottom (1950) of the outsole (1920)can act as a receptacle for this gel, thus forming an insole (1930)integrated into the outsole (1920). In this instance, the gel (1920) canbe placed directly into the outsole receiving area (1940/1950) and thenbe covered by a plastic, rubber, vinyl, or some other suitable, durablematerial or combination of materials (1960). This covering (1960) canprotect the gel and prevent it from seeping out of the gel receivingarea (1940/1950) of the outsole (1920). As mentioned earlier in thisapplication, a semi-liquid or “squishy” gel insole (1930) solution wouldlikely include gates or boundaries so the gel would not movesignificantly to any one area when pressure from the foot or body isapplied to the insole (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

As shown in FIG. 20, the polymer gel insole (2010) can be simplymanufactured as one piece within the SBS rubber, plastic, vinyl, orother material base outsole (2020). This solution would probably workbest with a partial gel-based insole (2010) rather than with acompletely gel base insole (2010)—especially if a “squishy” polymer gelis being used for a portion of the insole (2010). Also, a solid orviscoelastic gel insole (2010) would likely be easier than a semi-liquidor “squishy” gel insole (2010) to manufacture as part of the completecombined sole of the sandal.

FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment of a sandal (2110) according to theinvention. The sandal (2110) is comprised of an outsole (2120), aninsole (2130), and an upper (2140). The upper (2140) is preferablyattached to the perimeter wall (2150) of the outsole (2120) on bothsides. The upper (2140) can be sewn, glued, or otherwise attached to theinner side wall (2160) and/or perimeter wall (2150) of the outsole(2120). The upper (2140) can be constructed of one or more piecesdepending on the desired functionality of the sandal. A one-piece upper(2140) can provide more stability and security to the foot. A two-piece(or more) upper (2140) can provide a tighter, more customized fit to theindividual foot. The upper (2140) can be comprised of any materialdeemed sturdy enough to support the foot during use. The upper (2140),combined with the insole (2130), provides a receiving area for the foot.The upper (2140), combined with the insole (2130), provides a receivingarea for the foot. The upper (2140) is intended to help keep the foot inplace while the sandal is in use.

1. A sandal comprising: a durable outsole with an upper surface and abottom surface; a compliant pouch permanently attached to the uppersurface of the outsole; a gel material disposed within the compliantpouchs; and an upper attached to the outsole configured to receive auser's foot and to assist in retaining the foot against the compliantpouch.
 2. The sandal of claim 1, further comprising a plurality ofcompliant pouches filled with a gel material;
 3. The sandal of claim 1,further comprising a plurality of different regions on or near the uppersurface of the outsole, wherein at least two of the regions havedifferent degrees of hardness.
 4. The sandal of claim 3, wherein atleast one of the regions is configured to contact a user's heal duringuse.
 5. The sandal of claim 3, wherein at least one of the regions isconfigured to contact a user's foot arch during use.
 6. The sandal ofclaim 3, wherein at least one of the regions is configured to contact auser's ball of the foot during use.
 7. The sandal of claim 1, whereinthe pouch covers substantially the entire upper surface of the outsole.8. The sandal of claim 1, wherein the pouch includes partitions toinhibit the movement of the gel material within the pouch.
 9. The sandalof claim 1, wherein the gel material comprises polymer gel.
 10. Thesandal of claim 1, wherein the pouch comprises a material selected fromthe group consisting of cloth, rubber and nylon.
 11. The sandal of claim1, wherein the pouch comprises a material selected from the groupconsisting of plastic, vinyl, and foam.